Utility carts are well-known and used by consumers, as well as various industries, to transport loads of all types. Utility carts are ordinarily provided with four corner supports, two or more platforms, such as a top and bottom platform supported by the corner supports, and four casters below the bottom platform. Such carts vary from inexpensive, consumer-oriented products, to those carts produced for commercial or industrial use; the commercial carts being considerably more rugged, adapted to withstand heavier loads, and consequently more expensive. Typically, utility carts are formed of steel or polymeric and/or resinous materials. The carts also typically include fixed or rotating casters to provide an easy way to transport heavy or bulky loads.
Conventional carts may also have accessories permanently attached to the cart for ease of storage and transport of various items. By way of example, some utility carts may have hooks for securing such items as electrical cords. Other utility carts may be fabricated having fixed shelves and bins that can be used for storage of items carried by the cart. For instance, the utility cart may include a plurality of vertically oriented stacks of bins to increase the storage accommodations of the cart.
Modular shelving units incorporated within a cart are also known in the art. Often these units include a number of shelves that can be attached to one or more of the corner supports, or even a sidewall, to support a number of shelf configurations. Prior art modular shelving units are typically held together by fasteners, such as screws, nuts and bolts. While this may result in a unit having structural integrity, assembly and reconfiguration of the unit is very difficult and may limit the usefulness of the cart. Repeated disassembly and reassembly for reconfiguration will often weaken the mounting structure and the shelving unit itself.
Another problem associated with prior art utility carts is the inability to easily lock or unlock the caster wheels in order to prevent the utility cart from rolling away when positioned on or traversing an inclined surface. Thus, what is needed in the art is a utility cart having a front caster swivel-lock mechanism to facilitate easier locking and unlocking of the caster swivel function.
Yet another drawback related to utility carts concerns the handle used to maneuver the cart. For example, most utility carts have a fixed push handle attached to the top platform in order to help the user maneuver the cart in various directions. Unfortunately, these handles may be at a disadvantageous position for the user if the load on the cart is heavy or the person pushing the cart is not within a specific range of height. Cart pushing and pulling are common dynamic tasks in the industrial environment. During these tasks, a user must exert enough force to move the cart and be ready to catch the cart in the event that the cart moves or stops unexpectedly. This potential instability often causes the user to take smaller steps or adopt awkward postures due to the position of the handle, resulting in over-exertion injuries. Accordingly, there is a need for a utility cart with an adjustable handle that provides comfort through adjustable height handle positions to allow for more advantageous maneuvering of the utility cart regardless of the load placed on the cart or the height of the user; thereby allowing the potential effect on posture and the resulting lower-back loading to be taken into account by the user in determining the appropriate handle location.
Thus, it would be desirable to have a modular utility cart which can be quickly assembled and reconfigured in different arrangements for a number of different uses, with the added benefit of not weakening the structural integrity of the cart. The cart should include shelving that can be quickly mounted and repositioned in a variety of positions with little or no hardware for the user to contend with. The modular utility cart should be relatively light weight and assemble without the need for excessive tools or strength on the part of the assembler. The modular utility cart should be adaptable to different storage requirements, and yet should be secure enough when assembled that it will not inadvertently become dismantled or unstable while in use. Still yet, the utility cart should include an adjustable handle assembly and remotely operable caster lock features. The modular utility cart should also be configurable to store and transport items not typically moved with a utility cart, such as ladders, cords and round items that roll uncontrollably when moved. The modular utility cart should also be configurable to include at least one drawer which can be latched in a closed position to prevent inadvertent opening during traversal of the cart.